Published 4:00 am, Saturday, March 24, 2001

The sound of 4,000 voices singing the bittersweet words of the mariachi classic "Mexico Lindo y Querido" in a Fresno convention center this week dramatized the human cost of the problems facing political leaders in California and Mexico.

The song expresses the longing for their homeland of the 18 million people in the United States with roots in Mexico. It ends plaintively: "Dear, beautiful Mexico . . . if I die far away from you, let them say I am just sleeping, and bring me back home."

This week, Mexican President Vicente Fox stood before legions of farmworkers who have left home and who toil -- often with low pay and little recognition -- in California's Central Valley. Many will live their lives without ever going home again. Fox promised he will never forget their sacrifices and will work to give them a voice in Mexico and a helping hand in the United States.

When Fox's whirlwind two-day trip through the state was finished, both the Mexican president and Gov. Gray Davis came out winners.

For Fox, shadowed by an aggressive contingent of the Mexican press, there was round-the-clock reporting on the triumphant receptions and American politicians who came courting. The shots of adoring crowds in California underscored his political strength and international stature just before he went home to face a potent critic, Subcommander Marcos, the head of the Zapatista movement.

For Davis, who noted that 12 million of the state's 34 million residents have Mexican roots, there was the continual glow of media limelight from being at the side of the charismatic Mexican head of state -- two days of coverage that didn't involve the energy crisis. He even managed to squeeze in talk of education when first lady Laura Bush met Fox at a San Fernando elementary school.

And as Davis looks to his re-election bid next year, Fox's trip helped him remind the state's growing Latino voting bloc of California's much-improved relations with its southern neighbor.

But there remain plenty of challenges ahead as the political leaders try to meet the expectations of the millions who hold emotional and economic ties to "Mexico, Lindo y Querido."

Among them:

-- Access to California universities: Fox gave the Legislature a pointed reminder of the Mexican immigrants' contributions to the state and urged that they and their children be allowed to pay lower in-state tuition fees for the state's colleges and universities. Davis and GOP leaders worry that may lead to discount tuitions for residents of other states -- and that California can't afford the cost.

-- Voting abroad: Fox promised new efforts to extend voting rights to Mexicans living in the United States who currently have nothing comparable to an absentee ballot. The Mexican president recognizes the political clout of expatriates and has campaigned skillfully among them, but it could take years before they get to vote.

-- Farmworker health: Davis scored a coup when he announced a $50 million pledge from the state's largest health foundation, the California Endowment, to aid farmworkers over the next five years. But there's still plenty to do: Recent studies show that the lion's share of poor farmworkers and their families have no health insurance, and nearly half have never seen a dentist.

-- Human rights: Fox's savvy minister for immigrant concerns, Juan Hernandez, reminded farmworkers that his government is working to air their complaints about mistreatment in the United States. But migrant advocates say immigrant abuse has long been ignored by the political leadership -- fed on donations from big corporate agricultural interests.

-- Amnesty and guest worker programs: Immigrants, many of them undocumented,

turned out at Fox events hoping he would endorse amnesty. He didn't promise anything and faces tough battles on all sides: U.S. Republicans have vowed to fight it, and groups like the United Farm Workers union are pushing him to battle harder for it. Meanwhile, Fox's political opponents at home say they'll oppose a "rent-a-worker" guest program if they're not satisfied it protects their countrymen.

-- Energy: Fox said Mexico has been providing energy to power 250,000 California homes and wants to do more. Three power plants have been planned in Baja; at least two others have been granted permits. But the country has its own considerable energy needs and growing environmental concerns. Fox cautioned that Mexico's energy is not a "magic solution" for California. Translation: Don't hold your breath.

-- Environment: The good news -- Davis and Fox announced new accords on environmental cleanup at the border. But a remaining problem is New River, a pollution cesspool running between Calexico and Mexicali. Advocacy groups like the Greenlining Institute want a $33 million joint U.S.-Mexican effort, but Davis hasn't backed the idea.

-- Opening the borders: Fox called for the border to be seen as "a joining line," not a dividing line. But American politicians, including President Bush,

Now Playing:

don't yet embrace his calls for less restrictive border control. And Californians who in 1994 overwhelmingly passed the anti-illegal immigration initiative Proposition 187 haven't changed their minds. Davis' pollster Paul Maslin said this week that given another chance now, voters would most likely pass Prop. 187 again.

Meanwhile, with the economic downturn, anti-immigrant Web sites are revving up, suggesting an aggressive, even racist, battle against any loosening of immigration regulations. If the economy worsens, the biggest hurdle for Davis and Fox may be the decidedly unsentimental message: that anyone who wants to sing "Mexico, Lindo y Querido" better be prepared to live there.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.